


And Life Went On

by SneezeRogers



Category: 18th Century CE RPF, American Revolution RPF, Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Afterlife, Hamilton - Freeform, Lams - Freeform, M/M, im sorry, no im not, slight Lams, takes place after john's death, this is so sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-27
Updated: 2016-08-27
Packaged: 2018-08-11 10:26:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7887637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SneezeRogers/pseuds/SneezeRogers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>August 26, 1782 John Laurens dies near the Combahee River in South Carolina. The world kept moving and evolving even after his death.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And Life Went On

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER:this work is in no way related to Sleep At Last, my previous fic concerning Laurens' death. In this fic, I'm assuming he simply died in battle.
> 
> Happy Reading!

Blinking, John’s eyes opened slowly, the light shining down on him slowly coming into focus. John blearily tried to look around his new surroundings, his eyes squinting from the warm white light seeming to come from every corner of the room. He tried to sit up, only to be held down gently by a hand on his shoulder, a gentle hush urging him to remain calm.

“Rest, John-- you were hurt,” said a comforting female voice, coming from above him.

John looked up to see where the voice had come from, only to be met with a lightly freckled woman, her red hair falling in silken waves around her face. John furrowed his brow, struggling to recognize the woman seemingly tending to his injury.

“I--I’m sorry, but I don’t believe we’ve met,” John said, shifting up to sit up on his elbows.

The woman smiled gently, her shoulders sagging a bit. “Rachel-- Rachel Faucette,” she offered, using a carefully placed hand in the center of John’s back to help him up to a more comfortable sitting position. “How are you feeling? You’ve been resting for a while,” she asked, sitting back on her seat a bit more and smoothing her skirts.

John suddenly became aware of his body and the fact that he, well-- didn’t hurt. “I’m actually… I feel fine?” he breathed, the statement coming out as more of a question, his confusion growing. Standing, John acclimated to the strange normalcy of all of this, and began walking away from the woman and the cot he had been laying on. “I apologize, but I believe there are some things I need to take care of,” he apologized as he left.

Following him, Rachel tried to catch up and slow him down before he saw much more, realizing she had failed to explain to him what exactly was happening. “Its been taken care of, John; don’t worry,” she reassured him. Watching Laurens as he walked, Rachel noticed the furrow of confusion set deep in his brow as things started to make him realize he was not where he thought he was.

John looked around at the people he began to pass, the slaves--or those he assumed were enslaved-- murmuring and looking at him. This was enough; he would not tolerate this level of secrecy. Turning on his heel, John looked to the red haired woman, his jaw set and ready for a confrontation. “Where am I? Because I know for a fact this is not my camp,” he stated plainly, demanding an answer.

Rachel took a hesitant step forwards, her hands out in innocence. “Jacky, I know this is a lot for you to take in, but you just need to listen to me, alright? You can trust me,” she assured him, her hand moving to rest on his forearm, only for him to abruptly pull away.  
“Don’t call me that-- tell me where I am,” He demanded once again, feeling his hip for his weapon, only to find that there was none. “Have I been captured? Is that why I have no weapons?” He asked, his temper beginning to flare up.

Rachel let out a breath, shaking her head and meeting John’s eyes, their usual calm silver now a churning blue of betrayal and confusion. “John, you’ve been injured. It’s a lot to take in bu--”

“Look at me,” John interrupted, his voice now something completely different as he used a hand to raise the woman’s chin a bit so he could see her eyes better. “I know you,” he breathed, confusion evident in his tone. “How do I know you?” he asked, completely dismissing Rachel’s earlier attempt at an explanation.

Rachel smiled gently, her dark blue eyes going glassy at the thought. “My son-- you know him, not me,” she stated simply, watching John’s mind buzz.

_“Alexander.”_

John’s face lit up in recognition, but was immediately replaced with another bout of confusion, the expression slowly melding into something more desperate. “You’re-- but I thought Alex said you were sick when he was younger?” He asked, trying to somehow rationalize things. Rachel simply nodded, her hand finding its way back to hold John’s forearm, this time, the gesture being accepted. John swallowed, his eyes straying as he tried to process this information. “So you-- we-- are…?” He asked shakily, looking around at the men and women who had been watching him earlier.

Rachel pressed her lips together as she nodded, the reaction being more emotional for the both of them than she had expected. “Yes, John. But we’re here now-- whatever you’d like to call this place. Heaven, paradise, another universe; it’s all the same.”

John swallowed and nodded, looking back to Rachel now. “So all of them, too?” He asked quietly, not meaning to offend anyone in this place of serenity.

Nodding again, Rachel used the hand on John’s arm to take him and lead him towards the people. “They’re free now, John, and those men who fought along your side will be too,” She said softly, allowing John to take this in at his own pace.

Looking down the masses of men and women, John failed to recognize any of them, but knew the pain they had to have gone through in their lives. Closing his eyes as he drew in a long breath, John nodded, looking once again to the masses. Slowly--one by one-- the men raised their hands to their temples in salute to the fallen commander.

With a great heave of his shoulders, John brought his chin up in a salute to the others before being resolved to a crying wreck of a man. Seeing this, Rachel allowed him to come to her with his sorrows, his shoulders still shaking with tears.

“If it is any comfort to you, you went with honor. The war is over, John. There is freedom in the United States of America,” she said into the crook of Laurens’ neck, her unoccupied hand reaching up to gently stroke the back of his head, where his dusty blonde hair had come somewhat out of its braid.

With this, John let out another sob, his eyes screwed shut. Regaining his composure a bit, he looked up to Rachel, blinking through his tears. “And Alexander?” He asked after a moment.

Rachel gave John a sad smile shaking her head. “My boy? He’s doing fine, but I’m afraid he didn’t take your passing all too well. He’s holed himself away to do his work as a distraction, ” She explained.

John furrowed his brow, the news coming with some relief, but surprising him nonetheless. “How do you know this? And how did he find out so quickly? As far as I know, he’s in New York, and post takes a few weeks to get there from South Carolina,” He asked, his questions coming in a long ramble.

Rachel shook her head, “We have the opportunity to check in on those we left behind, but I would advise you to wait a bit before doing that,” she said warily, eyeing Laurens and knowing that he wouldn’t take her advice.

With a slow nod, John looked around. “How do I do that? Check in on them--Alex-- I mean?” he asked.  
With a sigh and a slight smile, Rachel proceeded to show him the way and left him to find his way alone.

As John found his way into the world as the rest of the living knew it, he walked until he found the house that he recognized as Alexander and Eliza’s estate. Knowing Alex wouldn’t mind, he walked up to the door, opening it and allowing himself entry. Eliza sat in the foyer, looking up with a frown at the door.

John smiled despite himself, stepping inside and walking towards her. “Sorry I didn’t knock, but I figured you wouldn’t mind an impromptu visit,” he said with a laugh as Eliza walked towards him-- and carried on straight past him to shut the door.

Frowning once again, John brushed off the encounter and walked deeper into the house, following the stairs up to Alexander’s study. As he neared the hall, John felt his chest grow tight with emotion he know he would confront upon seeing Alex. Turning the corner, John heard footsteps growing nearer and eventually saw a shadow cast across the wall of someone heading his way. Out of the room came none other than Alexander himself, his hair pulled back in a braid, and clothes looking a bit disheveled as usual. In his brief once over of Alex, John noticed that his hair had a bit more gray than he remembered, and that his face looked only slightly more tired than it usually did.

“I’ve missed you so much,” John breathed, stepping forwards to be closer to the man. Alex stood in the hallway, his eyes not completely focused on Laurens. Squinting a bit down the hall, Alex took a step forwards, causing John’s breathing to stop for a short moment. The two were almost chest to chest now, with only John’s eyes glassy with tears.  
With an almost relieved smile, Alex’s features relaxed. “There you are, John,” he said gently.

With this, Laurens allowed his resolve to crack, a fat tear rolling down his cheek as he nodded. “It’s me,” he breathed.

  
To John’s surprise, Alexander knelt down, looking past him in the hallway. Looking behind him, a toddler was running clumsily towards Alex and even more shockingly through John. Frozen in place, John watched as the events unfurled around him-- Alexander picking up the child and holding him close to his chest.  
“Hows my Johnny boy doing?” He asked the babbling boy.

  
_Since when has Alex had a son named John?_ Laurens thought, stepping back from the pair as he came to the realization that he was unnoticed. Wiping his face of the heavy tears that had fallen earlier, he walked past Alexander and his son, making his way to Alex’s study.

Once inside the dimly lit room, he sat down in the large armchair, simply soaking in all things Alexander as he came to terms with this new reality. After a moment of pensive silence, John felt hands on his shoulders, causing him to shut his eyes and let out the breath he didn’t realize he had been holding in.  
“I warned you for a reason, John,” Rachel said gently. “It’s been thirteen years since you died,” she added quietly. After allowing John a moment to deal with his emotions, Rachel took John by the hand. “ _Let’s go home_.”

And life went on.


End file.
